Advise to buy a used car

Hey Guys I am planning to buy a used car, probably a Honda Accord model 2000+ model. I have several questions :

Is it good to buy an older car with low mileage (30 - 50K)or a newer model with high mileage (70-80K)

How about buying a used car thats been drive in NYC for 2 years,which is a freequent stop and go driveHow about buying a car thats been driven in Flordia for 3 years,which is a salty and humid climate.How about buying a used car thats been driven by 3 owners, butthe carfax has a clean recond

I think most people would take the high mileage new model over the low mileage old car, but of couse that would depend on the condition of each car and the driving environments too. How much older and how much newer, etc.

Typically I would think think the clean carfax car by 3 owners would be the best bet. If carfax says it's clean it shouldn't reallly matter how many owners it's had. It's a toss up between the nyc car and the florida car though. i wouldn't say 2 years of stop and go isn't the worst thing though, salt and humidity for 3 years might be a little rough though, but depending on how the car was cared for and stored. really hard to compare since your comparing 2 different factors, usage style and environment. guess you gotta figure out which is the lesser of the abuses.

h3nry:I think most people would take the high mileage new model over the low mileage old car, but of couse that would depend on the condition of each car and the driving environments too. How much older and how much newer, etc.

Typically I would think think the clean carfax car by 3 owners would be the best bet. If carfax says it's clean it shouldn't reallly matter how many owners it's had. It's a toss up between the nyc car and the florida car though. i wouldn't say 2 years of stop and go isn't the worst thing though, salt and humidity for 3 years might be a little rough though, but depending on how the car was cared for and stored. really hard to compare since your comparing 2 different factors, usage style and environment. guess you gotta figure out which is the lesser of the abuses.

Thanks h3nry for your reply, there is a 2004 camry with 100k miles.Clear carfax, Is that a good car ?

AutomotiveJC:Yea... 100k sounds like two much for a 2004 car. Thats 50k miles a year! A regular 2 year old used car should have around 20k-35k miles TOTAL.

sounds like you just don't drive that much, i got about 30k miles in just over a year and 2 months. that still doesnt put me anywhere near the 100k in 2 year mark though. if you're think about a higher mileage new car, which it looks like you are, also keep in mind the amount of time that it took that particular owner to get to they're car's mileage up that high.

Okay, I would go for the Honda Accord. It is a class higher than the Toyota Corolla, at least size wise. However even though it has a clean record, since it's been through that many drivers, I would still either request a total body and chassis check or do it myself at a shop before I buy the car. Good luck negotiating for the best price!

i would go for the accord, it's a bigger car and the difference in miles is pretty big. the accord is probably much nicer to drive than the corolla also, unless you're looking for a small car for some of it's conviniences

AutomotiveJC:Okay, I would go for the Honda Accord. It is a class higher than the Toyota Corolla, at least size wise. However even though it has a clean record, since it's been through that many drivers, I would still either request a total body and chassis check or do it myself at a shop before I buy the car. Good luck negotiating for the best price!

Hey what does a total body and chasis check mean, I may not have an option to take it to a shop to check it but how can I do it myself. I have check list got from edmunds.com but that doesn't include chasis.

The purpose of the chassis check is to see if the mainframe is bent. Because sometimes some damages from accidents are not reported to carfax. See if you can advise the seller to perform that check with the bodyshop... if not bend down under the car and look to see if there's any irregular shapes.

100k on a car that is only 2 years old is really excessive, Kelly Blue Book deducts value from a car if it averages more than 15k a year! Personally I would stay clear of that vehicle since he obviously puched it really hard.

1. Honda Accord 2001 with 32K miles with 3 owners2. Toyota Corolla 2003 with 80 K miles with 2 owners

Both have clearn carfax report.

Its a toss up between the two of them and even though i sell toyotas and know they are solid cars that will last 100's of thousands of miles, i would still probably take the accord. Honda makes a quality product and it should serve you well. I do wonder though how a car with 3 owners that is 5 years old could have so few miles? Were they all elderly couples?Whichever you decide should serve you well for many yearrs with any issues. Make sure that the vehicle you decide to purchase qualifies for the Carfax buy back garuntee so that your covered in case you find out later that there was an unreported accident or mileage roll-back. Good luck and happy hunting!